Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Sunday Afternoon Orchids

Sunday afternoon I headed south toward Richmond Hill to the Georgia Coastal Botanical Gardens for their annual orchid show.  I have always thought orchids are beautiful flowers, but don’t really know much about them nor have I been interested enough to learn the various types or how to grow them.  I've also not been to the Botanical Gardens except during their Christmas Light show.  Enjoy the photos and the personal story at the bottom.

Display of a variety of orchid

Orchid displayed 
 

 
 Years ago on “Secretary’s Day” (now Personal Assistant day or whatever the political correct term of the week is) I rushed into a florist to get flowers for my secretary.  It was in the afternoon and it looked as if they had a run on flowers.  There were four orchids left.  The three in the front looked as if they had been run over in the run, but in the back was a perfect orchid with a dozen blooms and half dozen bulbs waiting to open.  It was a beautiful flower.  I told the clerk I’d take that one, wrote out a card, paid for it and sent it back to the office while I ran on to another meeting.  My secretary seemed pleased.  A few weeks later, I was by her desk and looked at the flower.  “I wonder when those bulbs are going to open.” I asked.  She looked at me and saw that I was serious and then pointed out that the arrangement was silk.  It was as if someone had stuck a needle in my balloon.  But she graciously thanked me again, saying that she loved the flower for there was no way she could kill it.


46 comments:

  1. Aww, I like the idea of a silk flower! As a black thumb, I'd appreciate that even more. And I *do* think it's nice not to have cut flowers just so they can wilt in a day or two. I always feel badly about that so on mother's day and other days I tend to give flowers in pots instead :-)

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    1. There are some flowers that drive my allergies crazy. The silk ones allow me to enjoy lilies indoors and not suffer.

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  2. Lovely indeed. But in truth the display of live plants needs you to see them from eye level of above. We stick them and stalk them, ring them and hoop them, all to keep the bloom nicely presented for us to see. But if we displayed them in a surrounding bower so they droop to out eye they'd be truly delightful in their natural demeanour.
    I get them when they are on offer and have the fun of bringing them back to life, or sometimes not. :-)

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    1. You are right, in the wild they are often hard to spot, growing in trees and hidden in spanish moss, etc.

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  3. hahahahaha Sorry Jeff but that was funny! You're fortunate, if I ever had a PA to work with me I would probably need a 2nd one to remind of things like PA day or birthday's or Christmas or well..just about everything but the immediate task at hand.

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    1. I make sure I put such dates in my calendar.

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  4. That is an awesome story! And I only have silk plants in my house 'cause I kill every live plant I have ever received.

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    1. So you have a house full of flowers all year!

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  5. That is a great orchid story! Maybe I should get one of those. :) I killed a gift orchid - wasn't sure how to bring it back to life.

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    1. most orchids are temperamental as they have to stay wet but can't stay in water.... so they have to be watered frequently but cannot be soaked... I'm glad folks have patience, I'll enjoy their labors.

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  6. LOL, well, who would think a florist sells silk flowers?

    I love orchids and grow three of them. It's thrilling when you see a new sprout.

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  7. That is too funny, but she is so right, it will survive forever! They are a most beautiful flower, and so interesting in their designs!

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  8. If I had a dollar for every time I've inserted my foot into my mouth!

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    1. All of us do such things from time to time... I was shocked that I'd purchased a silk flower without knowing it

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  9. Those silk ones do last a lot longer! I love orchids and your pictures of real ones today were beautiful.

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    1. There were 100s of orchids of all different kinds--it was a feast for the eyes to look at them--there were dozens of displays like the ones I showed

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  10. Ha! Ah well, I'm sure the silk arrangement was quite lovely, and just think how long it will last without even having to water it. :)
    Your orchid photos are beautiful. I didn't know there were so many varieties.

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    1. there are 100s of varieties from different parts of the world

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  11. Beautiful. We've got a rare orchard that grows around here.

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  12. Orchids are beautiful, but my attempts to grow them (or just keep them alive) have failed.

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    1. I'm with you! But we picked up another orchid to see if we can keep it alive.

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  13. Love orchids. We have a famous orchard in Pinar del Rio, western Cuba.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. I bet there are many varieties in the woods of Cuba

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  14. Those orchids are lovely. I want all of them.

    That's a cute story. While I love real flowers, I know that orchids can be difficult to take care of, so I would've wanted a silk orchid too. :)

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    1. There were a number of growers from Florida in the show--you're in prime orchid territory

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  15. Beautiful photos!! I love orchids - real or silk!

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    1. And as a florist, you can probably tell the difference!

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  16. I love orchids ! Are really special and only grow in some weather !

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    1. Do they grow as far south as you are in Chili?

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  17. They are beautiful, and I like that the flowers do last quite a bit of time. Here, once the flower(s) fall, you're stuck with a stick and nothing ever happens afterwards...it's too dry I think. My mom, who lives in Hawaii, keeps them flowering over and over again. I'm convinced it's the humidity.
    That story made me laugh...oops. :)

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    1. They do like humidity but they don't like sitting in water!

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  18. The story was hilarious, Sage! That's the kind of thing that happens to me because I'm always rushing around! Your photos of orchids are spectacular! I read a science fiction story about orchids decades ago. It was about a woman who seduced men over dinner, drugged them, and then used them as living hosts for carnivores orchids in her greenhouse. Why something like that stuck with me for so long I have no idea, but orchids always give me a little shiver of fear as I imagine their "deadly" beauty! Have a good one!

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    1. They may have been silk but they were the best the florist had! Interesting horror story. I could see a horror story written about carnivorous plants

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  19. Whoops! She made a good point. We've bought and killed three orchids in the past year. They probably aren't that hard to take care of, but we keep screwing it up anyway.

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    1. They do require constant attention, from what I'm told.

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  20. Orchids are a most wonderful flower ...
    I do like your photo's - and silk flowers can be so real looking!

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks! Yep, that silk one looked real to me.

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  21. Those orchids are just so beautiful! A greenhouse here has an annual camellia festival and an orchid festival. So much beauty.

    @Kathleen01930
    Blog

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    1. I have many camellias in my yard that bring color out all winter.

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  22. I think silk flowers are ideal for an office environment. Though one office i worked in had a real orchid that thrived for years....

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    1. that is good news--years--we came home with an orchid.

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  23. Aww.. that's a sweet and funny story. Orchids sure are beautiful... as are your photos.

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  24. These orchid photos are incredibly beautiful. I love all the color!

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